Katrina: Two Years Later

Two years following Katrina we must take the time to remember the hundreds of people who lost their lives. We owe it to the remaining victims who are still homeless or misplaced to help them piece their lives back together. It’s something the Bush Administration promised, but failed to accomplish, as incompetence continues to ravage what the storm left in its deadly path.

Bush is out of touch with the realities in the Gulf:

“I think the federal bureaucracy responded pretty quickly for Katrina…We set up the funds. Put people in place. The moneys were spent. The moneys were distributed.” [FOX News, 1/31/07] Yet according to a report by the Brookings Institution, more than half of New Orleans’ schools remain closed, only seventeen percent of buses are running and rebuilding money is being distributed “one coin at a time.” [Washington Post, Editorial, 3/1/07]

Just a few weeks ago we learned that the Bush Administration knowingly left Katrina survivors in toxic trailers:

FEMA “suppressed warnings from its own Gulf Coast field workers since the middle of 2006 about suspected health problems that may be linked to elevated levels of formaldehyde gas released in FEMA-provided trailers.” [Washington Post, 7/19/07]

Only seven months in power, Democratic Congressional leaders have taken action to correct the Bush failures. Unlike the Republicans, we are learning from the Katrina and Rita disasters, and working to pass legislation to rebuild the region. The reconstruction efforts are far from over, and Democrats are committed to getting the people of Louisiana and Mississippi the resources they need to finish the job.

Here are some of the changes Democrats have brought about:

Democrats Sent $6.4 Billion to the Region
In the first seven months with a Democratic majority, Congress has sent more than $6.4 billion to the region – $3 billion more than President Bush’s request – for significant initiatives such as helping schools recover, bolstering levees, and maintaining health facilities.

Democrats Waived Requirement for Local Matching Funds
The Democratic Congress has “waived the local matching requirement under the Stafford Act…saving the region $1.9 billion and allowing work to begin on 20,000 stalled projects

Democrats Asked Hard Questions and Initiated Oversight Hearings
Last August, House Democrats traveled to the Gulf Coast on the solemn occasion of the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Their mission was to do the work the Republican-led Congress and the Administration were not doing, and determine what resources the region needed to rebuild and restore their communities.

Visit The DNC’s website to learn more about how Democrats in Congress are helping rebuild.